Smogen Whisky AB
Wee Swede 2012 (4 year old) 62.5% 50cl

Heavily Peated Optic Barley
American Oak Barrel/ Swedish Oak Bloodtub
Cask 17/2012
Dist Mar 2012 Btl: Aug 2016
Tasted: Sept 2016
For the Wee Swede, Par took one single Bourbon barrel filled in 2012 and let its contents go through two small 30 ltr Bloodtub casks of new Swedish oak. After three instalments of two months each, the whisky was returned to the original barrel for marrying.

The nose opens with some young, oily cereal notes with hints of lime and barley. Once it has settled in the glass and given some aeration it really opens up to show some lovely, sweet barley and hints of Bowmore-esque parma violets. The peat character is actually relatively subtle and adds hints of manure and smoke. I love the combination of dusty American oak and tighter grained European oak, the later adding a touch of burnt spice.

Dry, dusty barley and a little more peat intensity on the palate. That peat character is wonderfully young, smoky and primal. Hints of honey, sweet cereal, barley, gritty oak spices come through but the soft and supple American oak vanillins underpin. Long with lingering salty peat and violet notes.

A drop of water makes the nose heavier and oilier with a chunkier barley character and hints of honey and menthol. There is less peat influence now but the parma violet notes are still noticeable. The palate is a little simpler, which is probably down to the water emphasising the oak vanillins. Still it’s very rounded, spicy and dusty and long.